Audi RS5 Coupe vs tuned Audi S5 Sportback

Posted by Victor Ivanov on 01 November 2011, 08:03 PM

Another hard choice – Audi RS5 Coupe or tuned Audi S5 Sportback. Although the second car has two more doors, it is not less sporty, at all.

Firstly, Audi RS5 has a brutal 4.2 liter naturally aspirated V8 with 450PS (331 kW) at 6000RPM and 430Nm (317 lb-ft) at 4000RPM. The redline of the engine is all the way up to 8250RPM. It is mated to a 7-speed S-tronic gearbox, which sends the power to Quattro all-wheel-drive system.

The performance - 0 to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds and a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph) with speed governor and 278 km/h (173 mph) with optional package.

The car stands on enormous 19" forged aluminum wheels with 265/35-series tires as standard. Customers can also upgrade to 20" wheels with 275/30-series tires as an option. Behind them, there are humongous ventilated wave brake discs - 365 millimeters up front with 8-piston calipers. However, you can order carbon fiber-ceramic discs up front as an option.

Audi RS5 also comes with complete aerodynamics package including sporty front bumper, a new rear bumper with diffuser and a pair of modified side skirts. There is also an interior sport package including leather seats, steering wheel and some elements and logos all over.

Audi RS5 Coupe is priced at €77 700, which is a lot, but it worth every single cent.

On the other hand, we have a nice S5 Sportback with a tuning package from Senner.

It is powered by a 3.0 liter turbocharged V6 with 333PS (245 kW) at 5500RPM and 440Nm (325 lb-ft) of torque at just 2900RPM. After some small modifications like air filter, sport exhaust system including an additional muffler and X-Pipe of stainless steel with the enlarged pipe diameter to 63.5 mm and 4 exhaust pipes of 90×70 mm, and of course an ECU re-map. The power has been increased to a hefty - 445PS (327 kW) and 530Nm (393 lb-ft).

The car is finished in black mettalic paint with bright borders, as well as moldings and racks for windows, including a fog-light frame in the same color.

The suspension received adjustable screw thread B16 PSS10 from Bilstein with the possibility of height, pull rate and pressure adjustment in "Senner-tuning", which is responsible for the low suspension: about 40 mm on the front axle and 35 mm on the rear axle.

The total cost of the upgrades is €15 000 and the original S5 Sportback costs €57 900, so the combined price is "just" €72 900, which is almost 5 thousand less than RS5.

Again, it is very difficult to choose, whether you'll have the brutal RS5 with its mighty V8 or the more "normal" tuned S5.